1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an improvement in the manufacture of decorative vinyl tiles by preventing separation of a vinyl resin blanket from a silicone belt carrier when a printing transfer sheet is removed from the vinyl resin blanket at elevated temperature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior patents have described processes of adhering sheets to be conveyed on a carrier by using a corona discharge to impart an electrostatic charge to the carrier belt. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,733 electrostatically charges a polytetrafluoroethylene, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,362 uses a corona discharge for electrostatically charging a polyester belt used to transport a paper sheet along with use of a neutralizing corona device.
None of these patents is of any use in solving the problems met with forming a vinyl resin blanket suitable for ultimate cutting into decorative tiles, transporting the formed blanket on a carrier belt to a printing station using transfer printing paper, and subsequently peeling off the printing paper from the vinyl resin blanket while maintaining the blanket in contact with the belt in order that the belt may transport the blanket further in the process for additional steps. Due to the elevated temperature of the system at the point where the printing paper is peeled away from the vinyl resin blanket, there is a strong tendency of the blanket to lift from the carrier belt and follow the used transfer printing paper to its roll-up. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of maintaining the key or adhesion between the carrier belt and the vinyl resin blanket at elevated temperatures at the time when the used printing transfer sheet is peeled off. The present invention solves this problem.